Seven Weeks' War or Austro-Prussian War (June-August 1866) Conflict between Prussia on one side and Austria, Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, and minor German states on the other. A contrived dispute by Prussia’s Otto von Bismarck over the Schleswig-Holstein Question resulted
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Seven Wonders of the World ► sewage system I 1727
in the June 1866 Prussian attack on Austrian forces in Bohemia. The Prussian army, modernized and reorganized by Albrecht Theodor Emil, count von Roon, and Helmuth von Moltke, decisively defeated Austria at the Battle of Koniggratz and elsewhere. By August the war was formally concluded by the Treaty of Prague, which assigned Schleswig-Holstein and other territories to Prussia. The effect of the war was to exclude Aus¬ tria from Germany.
Seven Wonders of the World Preeminent architectural and sculp¬ tural achievements of antiquity, as listed by various Greco-Roman observ¬ ers. Included on the best known list were the Pyramids of Giza (the oldest of the wonders and the only one substantially in existence today), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (a series of landscaped rooftop terraces on a ziggurat, ascribed to either Nebuchadnezzar II or the semilegendary Queen Sammu-ramat), the Statue of Zeus at Olympia (a large gold-and- ivory figure of the god on his throne by Phidias), the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (a temple, built in 356 bc, famous for its imposing size and the works of art that adorned it), the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Pharos of Alexandria (a lighthouse built c. 280 bc on the island of Pharos off Alexandria, said to have been more than 350 ft, or 110 m, high). These wonders inspired the compilation of many other lists of seven attractions, or “wonders,” by later generations.
Seven Years' War (1756-63) Major European conflict between Aus¬ tria and its allies France, Saxony, Sweden, and Russia on one side against Prussia and its allies Hanover and Britain on the other. The war arose out of Austria’s attempt to win back the rich province of Silesia, taken by Prussia in the War of the Austrian Succession. Early victories by Frederick II the Great in Saxony and Bohemia (1756-58) were offset by a decisive Prussian defeat by Austria and Russia near Frankfurt (1759). After incon¬ clusive fighting in 1760-61, Frederick concluded a peace with Russia (1762) and drove the Austrians from Silesia. The war also involved the overseas colonial struggles between Britain and France in North America (see French and Indian War) and in India. The European conflict was settled with the Treaty of Hubertusburg, by which Frederick confirmed Prussia’s stature as a major European power.
Seventh-day Adventist See Adventist
Severn Vse-vomV River Welsh Hafren Vha-vren\ ancient Sabrina River, eastern Wales and western England. Britain’s longest river, it is 180 mi (290 km) long from its source to tidal waters. It rises in east-central Wales and crosses the English border near Shrewsbury, continuing south to the Bristol Channel and the Atlantic Ocean.
Severus \so-'vir-3s\, Septimius in full Lucius Septimius Severus Pertinax (b. ad 145, Leptis Magna, Tripolitania—d. Feb. 4, 211, Eboracum, Britain) Roman emperor (193-211). He was in Europe in command of Rome’s largest army when the emperor Publius Helvius Pertinax was murdered. Named emperor by his troops, he marched on Rome, entering the city without resistance. He effectively made Rome a military monarchy, giving the army a dominant role in government, ignor¬ ing the Senate, choosing officials from among the equites (see eques) and granting control of the courts to the Praetorian prefect. He annexed Meso¬ potamia, and he died attempting to subdue non-Roman Britain. He named his son Caracalla his successor.
Severus Alexander in full Marcus Aurelius Severus Alex¬ ander orig. Gessius Bassianus Alexianus (b. c. ad 209, Phoenicia—d. 235, Gaul) Roman emperor (222-235). At age 14 he suc¬ ceeded Elagabalus, who had been murdered by the Praetorian Guard. Severus’s mother and grandmother both held real power during his reign. A council of senators gave nominal ruling power to the Senate. Civil law¬ lessness reigned, and Severus’s military incompetence led to defeat by the Persians, though their heavy losses forced them to withdraw from Mesopotamia. When he bought peace from the invading Germanic Ale- manni, his indignant soldiers murdered him and his mother.
Sevier \so-'vir\, John (b. Sept. 23, 1745, New Market, Va.—d. Sept. 24, 1815, Fort Decatur, Mississippi Territory) American frontiersman and politician. He moved to what is now eastern Tennessee in 1773, where he fought in Lord Dunmore's War. In the American Revolution he helped win the Battle of King’s Mountain (1780). He participated in a settlers’ revolt against North Carolina that formed the temporary state of Franklin (1784) and was elected its governor (1785-88). He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina (1789-91). When Tennes¬ see joined the Union, he served as its governor (1796-1801, 1803-09).
Sevigne \sa-ven-'ya. Marquise de orig. Marie de Rabutin- Chantal (b. Feb. 5, 1626, Paris, France—d. April 17, 1696, Grignan) French writer. Of old Burgundian nobility, she was well educated and moved in court society in Paris after her marriage in 1644. She was devoted to her children, and, after her daughter married and moved to Provence, she began writing letters to her, without literary intention, that recounted events, described people and details of daily life, and com¬ mented on many topics. The stories and gossip in the 1,700 letters of this correspondence, related in a natural, spontaneous tone, provide a vivid picture of the 17th-century French aristocracy.
Sevilla \sa-'ve-ya\ English Seville \so-'vil\ ancient Hispalis City (pop., 2005 est.: city, 704,154; 2001: urban agglom., 1,180,197), capital of Sevilla province and Andalusia autonomous community ( comunidad autonoma ), Spain. Located on the Guadalquivir River, it is Spain’s lead¬ ing inland port and fourth largest city. Originally an Iberian town, Sevilla prospered under the Romans in the 2nd century bc. In the 5th-8th cen¬ turies ad it was the chief city in southern Spain under the Vandals and the Visigoths. In 711 it fell to the Moors, and under Muslim rule it was a cultural and commercial centre until the 13th century, when Spanish Christians under Ferdinand III captured it. About 1500 Sevilla became the centre of the Spanish colonial trade with the Americas. The French occupied the city (1808-12), and during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) it was held by the Nationalists. It is one of Spain’s main tourist centres, with historic mosques, cathedrals, and the 12th-century Alcazar Palace. It was the site of the Iberoamerican Exposition in 1929 and the Univer¬ sal Exposition in 1992. The University of Sevilla was founded in 1502.
Sevres VsevrA, Treaty of (Aug. 10, 1920) Pact at the end of World War I between the Allied Powers and the government of Ottoman Tur¬ key, signed at Sevres, France. It abolished the Ottoman Empire, obliged Turkey to renounce rights over Arab Asia and North Africa, and provided for an independent Armenia, an autonomous Kurdistan, and Greek con¬ trol over the Aegean islands commanding the Dardanelles. These provi¬ sions were rejected by the new Republic of Turkey, and the treaty was replaced in 1923 by the Treaty of Lausanne.
Sevres Vsev-re\ porcelain French hard-paste, or true, porcelain, as well as soft-paste porcelain, made at the royal (now national) factory of Sevres from 1756 until the present.
After the decline of Meissen porcelain after 1756, Sevres became the lead¬ ing porcelain factory in Europe, thanks in large part to the patronage of Louis XV’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour, who involved the fore¬ most artists of^the day (e.g., Francois Boucher and Etienne-Maurice Falco¬ net) in the enterprise. Sevres porce¬ lain is famous for many styles and techniques, including white figures representing cupids, shepherdesses, or nymphs and the embellishment of grounds with minute patterns in gold.